This invention relates to liquid containers and, more particularly, to a container for positioning in a high-pressure apparatus for processing of food items placed in the container.
High-pressure processing equipment has been used for processing various food items, including fruits, vegetables, meats, etc. Conventionally, the apparatus for high-pressure processing defines a narrow chamber wherein a container with food items to be processed is positioned. The processing containers, in order to take advantage of the valuable chamber space, have diameters, which closely approximate the interior diameter of the pressure chamber. Also, conventionally, the processing containers are made relatively long, in the order of 5-7 feet, such that the bottom of the container sits on the bottom of the chamber and the top extends almost to the top of the chamber upper end.
The top lid of the high-pressure chamber is conventionally provided with a loop that can be engaged by a hoisting mechanism to allow the container to be removed from the high pressure-processing chamber. After the processing is complete, the container is hoisted out of the high-pressure chamber, turned upside down and the contents of the container are dumped onto a processing counter or table, where the liquid from the container is drained out and the product is removed.
Needless to say, elongated containers having about 7 inches in diameter and being 5-7 feet long are heavy when they are full with processing liquid and the loaded food items. The need to turn the container upside down to empty the container onto the processing counter requires additional equipment.
The present invention contemplates elimination of drawbacks associated with a prior art and provision of a container for high-pressure processing that allows to drain the processing medium and unload the product from the bottom of the container without the need to turn the container upside down for dumping.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a container suitable for use in a high-pressure processing apparatus that can be drained and dumped from the bottom.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a container with a bottom plug that is displaced for draining of the container.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a container for use in high-pressure processing machines, that is easy to operate and inexpensive to manufacture.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved through a provision of a liquid container with a removable bottom lid and a drain opening formed in the center of the lid. The drain opening is normally closed with a displaceable drain valve that frictionally engages the opening wall and prevents escape of liquid from the container. When the valve is moved upwardly, unseating the valve, the liquid is allowed to drain from the container.
The bottom lid is secured to the container wall by a pair of removable pins extending perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis of the container, through the container wall and into an annular groove formed in an upwardly extending inner extension of the bottom lid. The lid has a downwardly extending outer extension that rests on three or more support members. The support members are securely attached to the bottom lid by bolts or the like.
The supports rest on the bottom of the high-pressure processing chamber to prevent damage or scratching of the chamber interior walls. The dimensions of the supporting members and the pins do not exceed the inner diameter of the pressure chamber.